30 Fires You Must Know

by Chief Billy Goldfeder (Editor), Frank Leeb

30 Fires You Must Know offers a compelling examination of 30 pivotal fires that remain tactically relevant today. This resource provides a deep dive into modern fire history, offering valuable lessons for firefighters and first responders. By detailing these significant incidents, the book aims to honor the lives lost and ensure that their stories and the lessons learned continue to impact future operations. While there are thousands of fires that have changed the fire service, the "30" was selected from several hundred that have occurred in the past couple of decades that any firefighter operating today must know about. Each chapter includes vivid details from someone who was there or has direct knowledge of each of the fires, ensuring a clear understanding of the events. Additionally, each section begins with an overview to set the stage for what’s to come and a “lesson plan” at the end designed to help you share the details with your firefighters. The book also features a QR code linking to www.30Fires.com, where you can access more information about each fire, including documents, reports, photos, audio, and videos. The 30 Fires covered Fire #1: Black Sunday Fire (January 23, 2005—New York, NY) Fire #2: McDonald’s Fire (February 14, 2000—Houston, TX) Fire #3: Knights of Columbus Hall Fire (February 15, 2013—Bryan, TX) Fire #4: One Meridian Plaza (February 23, 1991—Philadelphia, PA) Fire #5: New York Telephone Exchange Fire (February 27, 1975—New York, NY) Fire #6: Ebenezer Baptist Church Fire (March 13, 2004—Pittsburgh, PA) Fire #7: Duplex Fire with Firefighter Trapped (March 13, 2020—Gwinn, Michigan) Fire #8: Southwest Supermarket Fire (March 14, 2001—Phoenix, AZ) Fire #9: Back Bay Fire (March 26, 2014—Boston, MA) Fire #10: Squirrelsnest Lane Dwelling Fire (April 4, 2008—Colerain Township, OH) Fires #11: Two “Modern” Single Family Dwelling Fires Fire #12: McMicken Battery Energy Storage System (ESS) Explosion (April 19, 2000—Surprise, AZ) Fire #13: Ingram Square Shopping Center (May 18, 2017—San Antonio, TX) Fire #14: Cherry Road Fire (May 30, 1999—Washington, DC) Fire #15: Southwest Inn Fire (May 31, 2013—Houston, TX) Fire #16: Diamond Heights Fire/133 Berkeley Way (June 2, 2011—San Francisco, CA) Fire #17: Father’s Day Fire (June 17, 2001—Queens, NY) Fire #18: Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire (June 18, 2007—Charleston, SC) Fire #19: Yarnell Hill Fire (June 30, 2013—Yarnell, AZ) Fire #20: Hackensack Ford Fire (July 1, 1988—Hackensack, NJ) Fire #21: Woodscape Drive Dwelling Fire (July 23, 2018—Clarksville,MD) Fire #22: Osceola County Fire Rescue (July 30, 2002—Kissimmee, FL) Fire #23: Walton Avenue Fire (August 27, 2006—Bronx, NY) Fire #24: PA State Fire Academy Training (October 23, 2005—Lewistown, PA) Fire #25: Englewood Neighborhood Fire (November 2, 2012—Chicago, IL) Fire #26: Ghost Ship Fire (December 2, 2016—Oakland, CA) Fire #27: Worcester Cold Storage Fire (December 3, 1999—Worcester, MA) Fire #28: Vandalia Ave Fire (December 18, 1998—New York, NY) Fire #29: Keokuk Fire (December 22, 1999—Keokuk, IA) Fire #30: Buffalo Propane Explosion (December 27, 1983—Buffalo, NY)

356 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2024

Reviews

[Nicola DeCicco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. The stories from each fire have good insight. My friend Andy Breden would probably call this book “30 fires that ain’t nothing”. But he would be wrong. They in fact are something, Andrew.

[Einar Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are in the fire service (operations, risk reduction, or otherwise) or interested in the what, why, and how of firefighting, this book should jump to the top of your reading list. Chiefs Billy Goldfeder and Frank Leeb wrote 30 Fires You Must Know in 2024. Most of the fires killed firefighters, and all of the incidents have lessons for keeping today’s responders safer.

Firefighting isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago, 27 years ago when I started in this amazing field, or even 10 years ago. As an industry, we have access to so much more science. This book is part of that increased knowledge base: flow paths, physiology and psychology, expansion rates of liquids and vapors, building construction, weather impacts, and the role of smoke as a vector for cancer. Yet our industry still has members who reject science and/or fail to apply it. Complacency is one cause, but the attitudes of knowing it all and “we’ve always done it this way” are far more dangerous and too common.

Wind. Many of these fires share the factor of wind. I’m stunned that it’s taken this long for structural firefighters to recognize that wind influences fires inside structures as much as it influences fires outside.

Most of the incidents in this book will either become part of my disasters in history series, or at the very least influence future risk reduction presentations. Indeed, these are 30 fires we all should know. As one of the contributing chief officers notes, “Firefighting is not a game. Do not let your ego and pride stand in the way. Fire does not discriminate. It will kill you.” In modern America we forget that lesson regularly: fire kills. Fortunately, knowledge and application of knowledge can prevent these deaths.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and thought provoking. The companion website to the book, 30fires.com, is a must read as it fills out the incidents covered in the book with other resources on each incident and gives a much broader view than just the book itself can give in the limited space each chapter must necessarily have. I'm glad to have read this book.

[Rick Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book and should be read by every firefighter in the nation. Chiefs Goldfeder and Leeb have done a fantastic job editing this book. The narrative for each fire is from someone who was there at the time and this adds a powerful punch. As firefighters read this book, they should look for the common threads that exist in a majority of the fires.

[Fass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every firefighter needs to read this book and listen to the stories so that history doesn’t repeat itself. This was an excellent collection of the some of the most serious incidents causing the line of duty deaths of America’s bravest. There are so many lessons to be learned in this text.

[Daniel Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book for anyone in the Fire Service. Due to the nature of how the book is laid out, there are some fires that are more in depth and informative than others but overall each story paints a vivid picture.

[JC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect review of some of the most tragic fires that changed the way we fight fires and look at our firefighting arsenal.

[Josh Kosek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone in the fire service